This book attempts a broad theoretical synthesis within the field of sociology and its closely allied sister discipline of anthropology. It draws together what the author considers the best of these disciplinesO theoretical approaches into a synthesized theory called Darwinian conflict theory. This theory, in the most general sense, is a synthesis of the tradition of economic and ecological materialism and conflict theory stemming from Marx, Marvin Harris, and the tradition of biological materialism deriving from Darwin. The first half of the book is taken up with critiques of existing theoretical approaches; this then leads to the full elaboration, in formal propositional form, of synthetic theory. The second half of the book lays out the large amount of evidence, both qualitative and quantitative, that supports the synthesized theory.

"The best parts of Sanderson's book are the early sections, where he reviews and critiques the major existing paradigms of sociology, including functionalism, Marxism, and sociobiology." - CHOICE

"Stephen Sanderson's The Evolution of Human Sociality provides a serious and wide-ranging treatise on sociobiology, its relationship to other styles of social explanation, and its pertinence to various domains of social life. Sanderson has given us a highly commendable work, and one that would surely benefit our discipline if its contentions were widely read and seriously engaged." - Contemporary Sociology

"This ambitious book is chock full of telling criticisms and worthy efforts at interdisciplinary synthesis. I hope that sociologists read it and take it seriously, and any evolutionist who is willing to push on despite finding nits to pick will get a lot out of it, too." - Quarterly Review Of Biology